Users Guide

• CMC firmware

For more information on the update sequence for M1000e chassis, see the CMC Firmware 5.0 Release Notes on support site.

Signed CMC Firmware Image

For M1000e CMC version 5.0 and later, the firmware includes a signature. The CMC firmware performs a signature verification step

to ensure the authenticity of the uploaded firmware. The firmware update process is successful only if the firmware image is

authenticated by CMC to be a valid image from the service provider and has not been altered. The firmware update process is

stopped if CMC cannot verify the signature of the uploaded firmware image. A warning event is then logged and an appropriate

error message is displayed.

Signature verification can be performed on firmware versions 3.1 and later. For firmware downgrade to M1000e CMC versions

earlier than 3.1, first update the firmware to a M1000e CMC version that is greater than or equal to 3.1 but less than 5.0. After this

update, firmware downgrade to earlier, unsigned M1000e CMC versions can be performed. CMC versions 5.0 and above carry the

signature as part of the released image and also carry the signature files of CMC versions 3.10, 3.20, 3.21, 4.0, 4.10, 4.11, 4.30, 4.31,

4.45, and 4.5 only. Therefore, CMC firmware update is supported only for these firmware versions. For any version other than

these, first update to any of these versions, and then update to the required version.

Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions

You can view the currently installed firmware versions using the CMC Web interface or RACADM.

Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions Using CMC Web Interface

In the CMC Web interface, go to any of the following pages to view the current firmware versions:

• Chassis Overview → Update

• Chassis Overview → Chassis Controller → Update

• Chassis Overview → Server Overview → Update

• Chassis Overview → I/O Module Overview → Update

• Chassis Overview → iKVM → Update

The Firmware Update page displays the current version of the firmware for each listed component and allows you to update the

firmware to the latest revision.

If the chassis contains an earlier generation server whose iDRAC is in recovery mode or if CMC detects that iDRAC has corrupted

firmware, then the earlier generation iDRAC is also listed on the Firmware Update page.

Viewing Currently Installed Firmware Versions Using RACADM

To view the currently installed firmware versions using RACADM, use the getkvminfo subcommand. For more information, see the

Chassis Management Controller for Dell PowerEdge M1000e RACADM Command Line Reference Guide.

Updating CMC Firmware

You can update CMC firmware using Web interface or RACADM. The firmware update, by default, retains the current CMC

settings. During the update process, you can reset CMC configuration settings back to the factory default settings.

NOTE: To update firmware on CMC, you must have Chassis Configuration Administrator privilege.

If a Web user interface session is used to update system component firmware, the Idle Timeout setting must be set high enough to

accommodate the file transfer time. In some cases, the firmware file transfer time may be as high as 30 minutes. To set the Idle

Timeout value, see Configuring Services.

During updates of CMC firmware, it is normal for some or all of the fan units in the chassis to spin at 100%.

If you have redundant CMCs installed in the chassis, it is recommended to update both the CMCs to the same firmware version at

the same time with a single operation. If CMCs have different firmware and a failover occurs, unexpected results may occur.